Though it has been hard to watch 11 members of the pitching staff go down to injury, Blake Snell said that it has also been rewarding to watch some players take advantage of their opportunities in the big leagues, especially during a unique season.
Josh Fleming is one of the pitchers the Rays will rely on heavily over the next few weeks, and the left-hander responded on Saturday by tossing 5 1/3 frames in the Rays’ 4-0 combined three-hitter over the Marlins at Marlins Park.
“He was outstanding for us,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “Flem really set a strong tone. So efficient, he had all of his pitches working. He doesn’t pitch like a guy that has two starts under his belt at the big league level.”
In his second big league start, Fleming continued to make a good impression. He allowed only two hard-hit balls and needed just 74 pitches to record 16 outs, striking out a career-high six batters. Fleming worked with a heavy sinker and cutter combination, and both pitches were effective.
The sinker was effective against both lefties and righties, while the cutter was mostly used up-and-in against right-handed hitters. The Marlins’ offense struggled against both pitches, finishing with an average exit velocity of 77.6 mph on Fleming’s sinker, and a 78.8 mph average on the cutter. Fleming also went to his changeup seven times.
“Impressive, but not surprising,” said Rays infielder Joey Wendle, who went 2-for-4 with two doubles and two RBIs. “We got a chance to see [Fleming] work a little bit in Spring Training one and two and he has a lot of confidence out there. He’s a lot of fun to play behind. He works fast, he pounds the zone, he gets contact early in the count, he’s an awesome guy that has just filled in really well and has fit in with the guys in the clubhouse.”
Fleming is now 2-0 with a 1.74 ERA in his first two career starts. With Ryan Yarbrough now on the 10-day injured list, Fleming is one of just three healthy starters for the Rays -- along with Snell and Tyler Glasnow.
“It definitely feels good to be able to go out and do what I did tonight,” Fleming said. “I know there are a lot of injuries going on right now and the bullpen needs a little bit [of length], so being able to go out and do what I did tonight, it makes me feel good.”
While Fleming set the tone, the Rays’ bullpen continued to get the job done despite injuries. Ryan Thompson and Edgar García have gotten increased opportunities, and both delivered on Saturday.
Thompson took over for Fleming in the sixth and stranded a runner in scoring position. García, who was acquired from the Phillies on Aug. 18, continues to perform well in late-inning situations, working around a two-out walk in the seventh. The Rays used five pitchers to complete the shutout.
“It just speaks to the depth in the organization and the guys that we’ve been able to call up,” Wendle said. “You certainly never like to see guys like that go down, but it is nice to have good, quality players in Port Charlotte right now.”
Saturday’s shutout was the third of the season for the Tampa Bay pitching staff, and it has tossed back-to-back shutouts for the first time since May 14-15, 2019, against the Marlins. Dating back to last season, the Rays have held the Marlins scoreless for 36 consecutive innings at Marlins Park, setting a new franchise record for consecutive scoreless frames at any visiting ballpark, surpassing 34 straight against the Angels in ‘12.
In completing four consecutive shutouts against the Marlins, the Rays became the first team since the Orioles achieved the feat vs. the Blue Jays in 1981-82.
“The guys are really doing a good job,” Cash said. “You can appreciate being down when you see a teammate going down, and we're all scratching our heads, but they’ve shown an innate ability to put that by them at 6 o’clock, 7 o’clock, whenever it’s time to play. They’re giving us every opportunity to win games, and that’s offensively, defensively and certainly the pitching the last two nights."